Park neighbours get sh300m

Jan 22, 2008

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has released sh312m as revenue to be shared with the community neighbouring the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

By Bernard Masereka

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has released sh312m as revenue to be shared with the community neighbouring the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

This was revealed by the warden, Benon Mugyerwa, while handing over a cheque worth sh128m to the Kasese district local government on January 14.

The money will be shared among 63 villages in six districts bordering the park. He said the money was 20% of the park’s gate collections.
Mugyerwa said Kasese district would receive sh128m, Bushenyi sh88m, Kamwenge sh45m, Rukungiri sh24m, Ibanda sh10m and Kanungu sh15m.

Mugyerwa urged the community leaders to assist the park to fight illegal activities in the protected area.

He urged the districts to ensure that the revenue gets to the communities affected by the park’s activities.

“This money is a form of indirect compensation to the people facing direct effects of the park.”

Advising them to guard the park, he said: “You can’t injure a cow that is giving you milk. Therefore, you need to protect this park since you are benefiting a lot from it.”
Mugyerwa commended Kasese district for assisting the wildlife authorities relocate Basongora pastoralists from the park last year.

He said wildlife officials desired that at one time, the park should be protected by the communities and not rangers.

The Kasese deputy chief administrative officer, Willy Batarigaya, thanked UWA for strengthening its relationship with the community by sharing the benefits from the park.

He challenged the sub-county chiefs around the parks to use the money to benefit all.

Kasese environment secretary Selevano Mulhondi urged UWA to develop a transparent mechanism that would help districts prove that the money given to them was indeed 20% of the gate collections.
“UWA could be cheating. There must be a way of proving that this is what is due to us,” he said.

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